Gaza Combat Zone: Israeli Army Declares Area

The Israeli army declared this Friday that Ciudad de Gaza is a “dangerous combat zone” before launching an offensive to take the most populous town in the Palestinian territory, ravaged by almost two years of war.

Israel faces a growing internal and outside pressure to end the war in the Gaza Strip, where the majority of the population has been displaced at least once during the conflict, which has left more than 63,000 dead.

The Israeli army does not give signs that it will suspend its plans to take the city of Gaza, and its spokesman in Arabic said the troops will not wait.

“As of today (…) the local tactical pause in military activity will not apply to the city of Gaza, which constitutes a dangerous combat zone,” said a military statement.

This “local tactical pause” had been announced at the end of July for Gaza City, the largest city of the Gaza Strip, and other areas of the Palestinian territory in order, according to the army, of “allowing the safe step of the UN convoys” and humanitarian oenegés.

Mohamed Abu Qamar, 42, a native of the Jabaliya Campo, in northern Gaza, prepared to go south, despite the “heart burns” when leaving.

«We don’t want to leave our home. We are exhausted, we go from north to the south without a respite, ”he told AFP on the phone. «Death is feating us. We start the march without knowing if we will come safely or if we will die halfway ».

The UN estimates that almost a million people live in the Gaza Governorate, which includes Ciudad de Gaza and its surroundings.

The Integrated Food Security (CPI) classification, an agency backed by the UN, declared the state of famine in this Gaza area last week and a United Nations agency attributed the situation to “Israel’s systematic obstruction.”

– Israel recovers the bodies of two hostages –

Gaza’s civil defense indicated Friday that at least 55 people died in the Palestinian territory since dawn.

The Israeli army, contacted by AFP, requested the coordinates of the attacks to check the reports.

Given the restrictions imposed by Israel to the media in Gaza and the difficulties of access to the land, AFP cannot independently verify the statements of the Civil Defense or the Israeli army.

The army did not call the population to leave Gaza City, but on Wednesday he affirmed that the evacuation is “inevitable”, due to Israel’s decision to take control of this town, considered one of the last bastions of Hamas.

Abdul Karim al Damagh, 64, told AFP that he leaves south and that it is the fifth time he is displaced.

“Today, once again, I must abandon what remains of my house and my memories (…) the South may be quieter, but it is not certain, fear chases us, death is always close,” he said.

The conflict broke out with Hamas’s attack against Israel on October 7, 2023, which caused the death of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to a count based on official figures. The militiamen kidnapped 251 people.

Of the 47 hostages that remain captive in the Gaza Strip, it is estimated that about twenty are still alive.

The Israeli army announced Friday that he recovered the bodies of two hostages in a operation in Gaza. One of them was identified as Ilan Weiss, killed during the October 7 attack.

The spokesman for the armed arm of Hamas, Abu Obeida, warned that Israeli hostages face the “same risks” as the rest of the population before the imminent operation in Ciudad de Gaza.

In Gaza, the Israeli offensive has killed 63,025 people, mostly civilians, according to data from the Ministry of Health of the Palestinian Territory -governor by Hamas -, considered reliable by the UN.

Turkey – which denounces that Israel carries out a “genocide” in Gaza – announced on Friday the closure of its ports and airspace to Israeli official ships and airplanes, a measure that will not affect commercial flights.

Hamas celebrated Türkiye’s decision and called to “intensify the sanctions” to isolate Israel and force him to put an end to “genocide and destruction in the Gaza Strip.”

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